The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
The assembly and attachment of a manual clutch and particularly the clutch housing to an engine flywheel is rendered difficult by the extended position of the pressure plate. This extended position of the pressure plate is the result of the unrestrained force and consequent movement of the pressure plate by the springs which, in normal operation, achieve and maintain clutch engagement. In order to readily and properly install the pressure plate and mount the clutch housing to the flywheel, it is necessary to temporarily retract the pressure plate by overcoming or neutralizing the force generated by the engagement springs.
Various installation methods and tools to achieve this have been proposed, many with mixed results. One approach comprehends providing bolts having sufficient length that they are capable of engaging the flywheel with the pressure plate fully extended. The bolts are then laboriously, sequentially advanced, typically only one-third of their length at a time, until they contact the flywheel at which time they are tightened in sequence to the proper torque specification. Because of the time and numerous steps involved in this process, it is often not properly executed resulting in improperly tightened fasteners and a warped clutch housing.
Other procedures comprehend the use of specialized tools. One such procedure involves temporarily mounting a transmission bell housing to the engine. A tool which engages the fingers of the pressure plate is attached to the bell housing and a threaded member is rotated which collapses the spring assembly to remove pressure on the pressure plate and facilitate mounting of the clutch housing to the flywheel. The fasteners may then be tightened to the proper torque specification in any order and the tool and bell housing removed.